From the archives: This story was last updated in May 2019.
While predicting the weather has always been a tricky business, these days it’s even harder for anyone to say what will happen next. While this can seem abstract, it’s all too real for farmers whose animals are in life-or-death situations where water is concerned.Farmer Amber Lea’s photos of her cattle in the state of New South Wales in Australia caught the eyes of the world. This is a place where water is often scarce and in high demand. It’s the home of the country’s biggest metropolis, Sydney, and also a main location for Australian industry and ranching. According to the
Bureau of Meteorology, Sydney’s April-May period is on track to be its second driest in 160 years!
Farmers are the ones who are most directly impacted by the drought, as it directly affects their livelihood. Even as the reservoirs that provide water for Sydney’s population of over 5 million are at their lowest on record, about half the city’s population didn’t believe the city was in drought at all according to a survey by
SBS.
To get the message across, last summer, Lea posted 10 pictures, one each day, on the Burrabogie Livestock and Contracting Facebook page. The pictures she posted really were worth a thousand words, showing the distressed cows in a parched landscape.
Using a drone to show the cattle gathering around the few water points remaining, the images are stark and harrowing. As Lea told
The Mercury, she had over 1,300 cows to feed and water in an incredibly remote part of the state. “There was no supply... we often have to drive 50 to 70 kilometers one way to get water for them.” All the usual points they could rely upon such as holding tanks or ponds were gone. “Watering points or allocated watering troughs were too low ... mills had stopped pumping.” In such a desperate situation, the cows flocked to wherever they thought there might be water.
Perhaps the most striking image shows a giant water truck pulling up to a ranch, only to be swamped by thirsty cows. The cows swarm in a giant swirling circle, jostling for position as they try to get as close as possible to the life-giving water. For deliveries like this, Amber often has to drive over an hour each way. The footage struck a chord with viewers worldwide and was widely shared on Facebook.
Unfortunately, Australia’s scorching sun coupled with drought has negatively affected wildlife, including Australia’s iconic kangaroo population, which come into farms and ranches in search of grass and water. This competition means that farmers have been allowed to hunt more of them than usual to keep the population in check.
